On the sidelines of the “The Story of a Nation” conference, I engaged in a serious discussion with several of my colleagues about the personality of the Egyptian citizen who was the subject of a documentary shown in the opening session, and how s/he bore the burden before the 25 January Revolution. Suffering was made worse during the mayhem and instability following the revolution, followed by harsh economic and security conditions that almost destroyed the country and its people, as we see in other regional countries where the blustery winds of the Arab Spring blew.

Jerusalem has returned to the centre of Arab attention and it seems as though the Palestinian cause has awakened from a deep sleep. Demonstrations swarm the streets, declarations of condemnation resound, and Arab ruling elites and everyone else who has a stance to voice against the US is riding the crest. It is no wonder that Jerusalem occupies such a sacred place in the hearts of Arabs, both Christian and Muslim. The Holy City is where Christ was crucified and where the Church of the Resurrection stands, and it is the place to where the Prophet Mohamed landed during his midnight journey on the night of the Israa and Meiraj. Nevertheless, the very return of the subject begs the question as to the reasons for its absence for so many years. Did it take a decision by the US president to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to realise that the Holy City was occupied? Could it be that the anger is directed not only at Israel and the US, but also at ourselves who seem to have been jolted awake by the sudden realisation that so much has changed both in the Arab region as a whole, which has experienced so many bloodbaths in the past few years, and in the Palestinian situation, which is so sharply divided? During the influential conference it organised on Jerusalem, Al-Azhar announced that it would introduce the subject of Jerusalem into its curriculum to ensure that future generations are acquainted with the Palestinian question and the Holy City at its heart.

Most Egyptians have probably always loved Egypt; that is a given, but they also have taken Egypt for granted; they complained, criticised, and chose to focus on the negative. Not anymore. Demonstrating devotion -- by focusing on what Egypt offers, by defending it unabashedly, and by cherishing its hard workers and great achievers -- is becoming a common denominator among most Egyptians.

We are in a time of no rules and no politics. The whole world is like a cat that fell into a basket full of strings. The more it tries to get out of it, the more complicated it becomes. We have small and medium international interest groups in the Arab region, which increases the tension in the world, especially in the region of the old sick man that is the Arab world.

In my opinion, the threat of atheism is no lesser than that of terrorism, and the atheistic wave is no longer a passing storm. You can easily realize this if you take a look at the number of views on the YouTube videos that cast doubts on religions in general, and on Islam in particular. Atheism and terrorism are equally dangerous, for atheism kills identity and questions beliefs in history, canons, religious symbols, the Prophet s companions and followers, and ultimately leads to the collapse of the foundations of whole nations and of their sacred beliefs.

Islamists come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very well educated and hold senior jobs. Others are not educated at all and might suffer from poverty or unemployment. Some believe in gradual change. Others cannot wait for instant and dramatic change. Some believe they can endure living with non-Islamists until further notice. Others believe that it is time for further notice.

Since the beginning of time, the idea of revolting against rulers has been studied and scrutinised, yet many people are still conflated about what makes ordinary citizens take to the streets and protest. A lot of people would not have imagined that protests would break out in Iran s eastern city of Mashhad, initially against price rises and corruption

Egyptians once again are mourning the victims of a vile terrorist attack, this time on a church in Helwan near Cairo that killed nine innocent people including a police officer and injured four others during religious celebrations preceding Coptic Christmas on 7 January.

I have come to know much about manipulative journalistic measures: I read between the lines and infer where a journalist is going with an argument, and, I, shrewdly if I may add, can anticipate the tone, voice, and scope of media outlets. More importantly, I have come to realize that some journalists work relentlessly against Egypt and are unabashed about that hatred.

It was written about Jesus Christ that ‘he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil. (Acts 10:38) I remembered this verse as we celebrate Christians and New Year. It was amazing that Christ has served not only those who loved and hated him as well. This was the opposite of what the terrorist who shot several Copts dead in the street as he went around doing evil! The man believes he is serving God and pleasing him by killing the infidel Christians and was hardly arrested by the unarmed people, which proves the police didn’t do their job as they should.

One bombing after another mark the successive terrorist attacks against the Copts, especially during the feasts. I didn’t want to write about the recent attack until my friends asked me to do so. However, I have very few comments on the attack in the form of few questions. Was there clear negligence by security forces? In fact, two policemen were securing the church against a terrorist who was holding a machinegun. They were not prepared or trained to react to such attacks which led them to be among the victims.

Many people have interests in rooting subversive ideas inside the minds of the Copts. Those people incite hatred against the Copts at the time the clergy and the religious leadership propagates the ideas of submissiveness, surrender to oppression, humiliation and taking slaughter as gifts from heaven to the Copts! It is clear that the extremists allied with the state as they are controlling extremist religious discourse and spread it in all kinds of media broadcasting from the heart of Cairo Media Production City! Those extremists are using the hatred and anger inside the youth and turn it against the Copts.

It seems that Iran and Turkey agreed to share the legacy of the old, sick Arab man, although they disagreed on the master whose instructions they should follow in the region to help them to achieve their interests and plans. Iran is a Shiite Muslim country, and the majority of Turkey s population is Sunni Muslim. The two nations have historically strong relations, but they outwardly disagreed over the Syrian civil war. Turkey tried to show itself as the only power capable of defeating the Syrian ruling regime and stop Iranian Shiite intervention. Under this premise, Turkey manipulated most Gulf countries and also Europe, claiming that it is capable of hosting refugees and preventing them as much as possible from entering Europe. To keep the situation unchangeable as long as possible, Turkey allegedly purchased oil from the Islamic State, according to some intelligence reports. On the other hand, Iran intervened in Iraqi and Syrian internal issues and controls the situation there, and finally, also in Yemen.

Though many previous US presidents contemplated the idea of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, they didn t see the move through. Whether it is out of recklessness and irrationality, lack of diplomatic experience and perception, pressure from the Israeli lobby, or wanting to be different from previous US presidents who passed the decision over to following presidents, we may never know, but President Trump defied the world and did it. For a brief moment, the world stood still in disbelief. You see, it hasn t happened before that an occupier is given the green light and the nod of approval to continue with aggression and occupation. This is exactly what President Trump did.

The summer of 2017 proved to be a different type of revolution in the Arab region. In the span of less than a month, Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia transformed the region s legal and social landscape when their respective governments revoked so-called marry-your-rapist laws. These antiquated laws allowed a man to escape prosecution and punishment for rape if he married his victim. It is hoped that momentum surrounding these repeals will compel other states in the region, namely Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Syria, and Palestine, to revoke similar laws.

The American decision to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem is an unjust decision and contrary to International Law; it undermines the foundations of peace; it inflames emotions; and it is condemned, unjustified and rejected. That s how the international community described the American president s decision, and all those descriptions apply to the originator of this dangerous decision.

In the last few days remaining of 2017, Cairo hosted an eminent international leader, Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was his second visit to the Egyptian capital in less than two years. In between, Egypt and the Middle East have witnessed dramatic developments that catapulted Russia to the driver s seat in shaping the future of the Middle East. When President Putin had come to Egypt in early 2015, the country was facing serious economic, financial, and political pressures from the interior and exterior. Regionally, the terrorist groups operating in both Iraq and Syria were emerging as powerful and destructive non-state actors. They were expanding east and west in the Levant, enjoying tacit and indirect western, regional, and Arab support, both financially and politically. One of these groups, the so-called “Islamic State”, had conquered Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, in June 2014. In the meantime, the west and its regional and Arab allies and partners had financed terrorist and extremist groups operating within Syria to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad. Turkey was the headquarters of this alliance, where terrorists roamed without hindrance and arms and militants were smuggled into Syria. Coordination and cooperation among several intelligence services, including the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been almost daily routine on Turkish territory to provide a certain shameful cover to these groups. The ultimate objective was to empower a pro-western fundamentalist regime in Damascus, in a western-inspired master plan to install Islamist regimes in the main Arab capitals that would become silent allies and partners for the United States and the west in the first half of the 21st century. Once established in these capitals, it would use them to threaten Russia and Iran, and ultimately China, in the name of spreading democracy under the guise of Islamist regimes.

Austria s new government -- a coalition of the conservative People s Party (ÖVP) and the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) -- has pledged fealty to the European Union, contradicting the far-right party s longstanding rejection of the EU in its current form and previous threats to hold a referendum on leaving it. The alliance between Austria s conservatives and the far right in the heart of Europe is an ominous turn of events as the beleaguered continent looks at its immediate future. Coalition government with far-right party takes power in Austria In mid-October, the People s Party won the national election in Austria by taking a hard line on immigration, calling for cutting benefits to refugees in Austria, cracking down on Islamic groups, and halting "illegal" immigration.

After months of negotiations, fraught phone calls and middle of the night flights to Brussels, British Prime Minister Theresa May received the news she wanted in a simple tweet Friday. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, wrote: "EU leaders agree to move on to the second phase of #Brexit talks. Congratulations PM @theresa_may." As May headed home from Belgium on Thursday night, she would have been confident that her terrible year was about to end on a positive note. EU leaders agree to second stage of Brexit talks

It seems that General Ahmed Shafiq did not properly calculate the consequences of his decision to suddenly announce from abroad his bid to run in the 2018 presidential election. While his 2012 campaign saw him only narrowly miss out on the presidency, Shafiq’s assumption that standing as a candidate in the upcoming election would give him immunity indicates he did not fully comprehend the changes in Egypt’s political climate, where the security apparatus’ control is prioritized over all other aspects of political life. Certainly, Shafiq has a right to run in the election, and there is no doubt that elements of the campaign already launched against him are obscene, unjust, and harm the state and political system. However, the question remains: how did Shafiq make the decision to announce his candidacy in the election before returning to Egypt?